Activatable barrier system and method of activating the barrier system

ABSTRACT

An activatable barrier has a barrier body that can be moved between a first position and at least one second position. An actuation device is configured for moving the barrier body from the first position into one or the other of the second positions. A control device, which is connected to the actuation device, is configured to control the actuation device as a function of a control signal for moving the barrier body. The barrier body, in the first position, is recessed into a delimitation of a space, through which a flow of people is guided. In the at least one second position, the barrier body projects from the delimitation, so that the flow of people is redirected or braked by the barrier.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the priority, under 35 U.S.C. §119, of German patent applications DE 10 2010 063 908.7, filed Dec. 22, 2010 and DE 10 2011 078 801.8, filed Jul. 7, 2011; the prior applications are herewith incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an activatable barrier system, especially to obstacles able to be activated if necessary in buildings, which can break up, guide and/or slow down a flow of people.

When a flow of people pass a restricted space, congestion occurs at specific topological formations such as bends, stairways, entrances and exits or constriction points. The occurrence of congestion depends in such cases on the flow density and/or the speed of movement of the people.

Congestion arising in the area of such formations can represent potential dangers for the health and safety of the individuals in the flow of people. For example congestion on stairs or inclines can lead to critical situations if pushing or falling-over result in accidents. This hazard potential is especially increased in emergency situations such as evacuations.

Usually, to resolve congestion or to guide flows of people, security staff such as door staff or police for example are used, who can ensure that critical areas can only be passed in a regulated manner by individuals. The use of security personnel however is expensive and there can only be an appropriate reaction to unexpected congestion under certain circumstances.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is accordingly an object of the invention to provide a barrier system and method which overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the heretofore-known devices and methods of this general type and which provide for a system and a method with which congestion of flows of people can be displaced, in the event of congestion, from safety-critical areas into less critical areas in order to protect the health and safety of the people in the flows of people.

With the foregoing and other objects in view there is provided, in accordance with the invention, an activatable barrier, comprising:

-   a barrier body movably disposed between a first position and at     least one second position; -   the barrier body, in the first position, being withdrawn in a     delimitation of a space through which a flow of people is guided,     and the barrier body, in the at least one second position,     projecting from the delimitation to thereby redirect or slow or     brake the flow of people with the barrier body; -   an actuation device connected to the barrier body and configured for     moving the barrier body from the first position into the at least     one second position; and -   a control device connected to the actuation device and configured     for controlling the actuation device in dependence on a control     signal for moving the barrier body.

In other words, one embodiment of the present invention thus includes an activatable barrier with a barrier body that is able to be moved between a first position and at least one second position, an actuation device that is designed to move the barrier body from the first position into at least one second position and a control device that is connected to the actuation device and that is designed to control the actuation device as a function of a control signal for moving the barrier body, with the barrier body in the first position being recessed into a delimitation of a space through which a flow of people is directed, and with the barrier body in the at least one second position projecting from the delimitation so that the flow of people is redirected or braked by the barrier.

In accordance with a further embodiment of the invention, there is provided a barrier system with a plurality of such novel activatable barriers, with the barriers being arranged at predetermined intervals in the wall, the floor or the ceiling of a hallway of a building and a communication interface which is designed to receive control signals from an alarm or emergency system in the building and forward them to the control devices of the activatable barriers so that the actuation devices of the activatable barriers are able to be controlled by the alarm or emergency system.

A significant fundamental idea of the novel system consists of creating activatable obstacles if necessary which can brake, direct and/or slow down a flow of people. The obstacles in this case can be especially designed in the area of building technology as barriers able to be extended from the wall, the floor or the ceiling, which in an emergency, for example a fire alarm, can be activated in order to channel flows of people into hallways and avoid potentially dangerous congestion in critical parts of buildings such as stairwells, tunnels, constriction points or inclines for example.

An advantage of the invention is that the barrier system is able to be integrated easily and at low cost into existing building management.

Furthermore the barrier system is advantageously modular in structure so that installation appropriate to the situation is possible for example in buildings in order to take optimum account of the external circumstances such as average or maximum density of people, dimensions of the space to be equipped with barriers, desired speed of reaction of the system in an emergency or similar factors.

Over and above this there is the advantage that the barrier system can be connected in a simple, low-cost and flexible manner to existing safety or emergency systems, such as fire alarm systems, sprinkler systems, evacuation control systems or similar systems, especially in buildings, or can be integrated into such systems.

Preferably the barrier bodies can comprise an inflatable partition wall which can for example consist of a fire-resistant material. This makes it possible to use the barrier system in fire situations.

Preferably the actuation device can comprise a compressor and a compressed air container for inflating the inflatable partition wall. As an alternative the actuation device can comprise a valve with which the barrier body can be filled with water via a connection to the sprinkler system in the building. The advantage of both options is that it is possible to move or create the barriers quickly in the flow of people in order to be able to react rapidly to danger situations. Over and above this the barrier bodies filled with air or water are to a certain extent flexible and yielding so that the danger of injury to people colliding with the barrier bodies can be minimized.

Advantageously the barrier body can include a warning and/or notification device for outputting warning information to people who are being directed through the space. This makes it possible to inform people about dangerous situations and the reason for erecting the barriers, to enable flows of people to be better directed and prevent panic from breaking out.

With the above and other objects in view there is also provided, in accordance with the invention, a method for selectively blocking a flow of people. The method includes the steps of detecting a safety-critical state in a building and the movement of at least one barrier body as a function of the safety-critical state from a first position in a delimitation of a hallway of the building through which a flow of people is directed into one of a plurality of second positions in which the at least one barrier body projects from the delimitation, so that the flow of people is redirected or braked by the barrier body.

This makes possible an adaptive direction or accumulation of flows of people at areas in buildings which are preferred because they are less safety-critical. In addition the selective blocking does not prevent flows of people from flowing in an optimum manner in the normal state.

Advantageously the safety-critical state can comprise a fire alarm in the building or an evacuation situation from the building. This offers the advantage of flows of people only being able to be selectively blocked in hallways in emergency situations. This enables one-way barriers to be used for example which, after a single movement can be returned to the initial state through maintenance or replacement. In emergency situations which rarely occur this can represent an economically efficient safety measure.

Preferably movement of the least one barrier body can comprise extending the barrier body from a wall, the floor or the ceiling of the hallway of the building. This offers the advantage of enabling the barrier bodies to be adapted to the spatial circumstances of the building or of the hallway.

Preferably the extension of the least one barrier body can be undertaken such that a part of the hallway of the building is completely blocked for the flow of people. This advantageously prevents the barriers being circumvented in an undesired manner by people and improves the stability of the barriers, especially with inflatable partition walls.

Further modifications and variations emerge from the features of the dependent claims.

Although the invention is illustrated and described herein as embodied in an activatable barrier system and a related method, it is nevertheless not intended to be limited to the details shown, since various modifications and structural changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and within the scope and range of equivalents of the claims.

The construction and method of operation of the invention, however, together with additional objects and advantages thereof will be best understood from the following description of specific embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an activatable barrier in accordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of an activatable barrier in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a barrier system in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a barrier system in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention; and

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a method for selectively blocking a flow of people in accordance with a further embodiment of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

It should be understood that the embodiments and variations described herein can be combined with one another in any given way where sensible. Further possible embodiments, developments and implementations of the invention also include combinations of features of the invention not described explicitly above or below in relation to the exemplary embodiments.

The enclosed drawings are designed to give further understanding of the embodiments of the invention. They illustrate embodiments and serve in conjunction with the description of the explanation of principles and concepts of the invention. Other embodiments and many of the stated advantages emerge in respect of the drawings. The elements of the drawings are not necessarily shown true-to-scale to one another. The same reference characters in the drawings refer to the same components or components operating in a similar way.

Individuals within the meaning of the invention can represent persons, vehicles or other self-deterministic subjects with self actuation. In particular flows of individuals within the meaning of the invention can be collections of people moving together in an area. The positions of the people in the area can be dynamic in such cases and can depend on the movement strategy of the respective person. Furthermore the movements of a person can be influenced by the movements and temporary rest positions of other adjacent people as well as the geometrical arrangement of spatial delimitations such as walls, doors, pillars or the like on the one hand and movable obstacles such as barriers, posts, cordons or the like on the other hand. In the description below, for the sake of simplicity, reference is made to people and flows of people without restricting the description to this specific type of individuals and individual flows.

The terms “barrier” and “barriers” within the meaning of the present invention can include any type of obstacles that are not able to be passed or difficult to pass for individuals. In particular barriers in this case can for example be gates, cordons, gratings, posts, pylons, partition walls, railings or similar objects. Activatable barriers within the meaning of the invention can include barriers which, depending on their activation state, can be selectively moved backwards and forwards between first and second positions so that depending on the current position, individuals or people can be either prevented by the barriers from continuing to move beyond one of the positions of the barriers or not.

Referring now to the figures of the drawing in detail and first, particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, there is shown a schematic diagram of an activatable barrier 1 in a space 10. The barrier 1 comprises a barrier body 2, an actuation device 3 and a control device 4.

The exemplary space 10 in FIG. 1 has delimitations 10 a and 10 b. The space 10 can for example be a hallway in a building. The delimitations 10 a, 10 b can in this case typically be walls of the hallway. For example the space 10 in FIG. 1 is shown as a straight hallway with delimitations 10 a and 10 b running in parallel to one another, with in principle any other form of the space 10 also being possible. Furthermore the delimitations 10 a and 10 b can have breakthroughs such as doors to adjoining spaces for example, passages to other hallways and rooms, staircases and suchlike. It should be clear in this case that many different options exist for how the topology of the space 10 is embodied.

People 5 can move in the space 10. For example five people 5 are shown in FIG. 1, who are each moving individually in directions of movement 5 a through the space 10. The directions of movement 5 a in this case, as indicated by the arrows, can lie essentially in parallel to one another, so that through the collective movement of the people 5 a flow of people through the space 10 is produced.

The barrier body 2 is designed to be movable from a first position 2 a into at least one second position 2 b, as indicated by the dashed arrow. In such cases the first position 2 a can lie at least partly in a delimitation 10 a, such as a wall of a space for example. For example the first position 2 a can lie behind a wall covering, so that the barrier body 2 in the first position 2 a does not project into the hallway 10 and in particular is not perceptible within the hallway 10. Alternatively the barrier body 2 can also form a part of the delimitation 10 a, wherein the barrier body 2 can be the same color as the color of the delimitation 10 a, so that the barrier body 2 matches the delimitation 10 a.

The barrier body 2 itself can be a bar, a partition wall or an inflatable envelope for example. In this case the barrier body 2 is able to be moved from the first position 2 a into at least one second position 2 b, so that, in the second position 2 b, the barrier body 2 represents an obstacle in the hallway 10 which is not able to be passed or is only able to be passed with difficulty by the people 5 in their movement through the hallway 10. For example the barrier body 2 can be a partition wall which can be pushed out or folded out into the hallway 10 from the delimitation 10 a. In the case of a bar the barrier body 2 can also be lowered down into the hallway 10.

In principle the number of second positions 2 b is unlimited in such cases. The second positions 2 b can for example in such cases differ in the proportion of the hallway 10 blocked by the barrier body 2. For example the barrier body 2 can be extended fully or only partly into the hallway 10. There can also be provision for the barrier body 2 to assume different barrier heights in the second positions 2 b, so that it is possible for people 5 to see over the barrier or not. This can be advantageous in order to allow the people 5 a better overview of the situation in the hallway 10 in front of them. The second position 2 b in such cases can be selected manually or automatically and in accordance with the situation.

The barrier body 2 can comprise different materials depending on its design. Preferably the barrier body 2 can be made of flame-retardant or fire-resistant materials, so that the danger of barriers catching fire in fire situations is reduced. Furthermore the barrier body 2 can consist of transparent or opaque materials. For example the barrier bodies 2 can consist of transparent and/or tinted materials in order to provide people 5 with a view of the hallway 10 in front of them.

The barrier body 2 can also include a warning device 2 c which is attached to the barrier body 2 and via which emergency information, warning signals or similar signals can be given to people 5 in the flow of people. For example the warning device 2 c can include an electronic display, via which for example warnings, information about the current danger situation or information about the next available escape route can be displayed. The warning device 2 c can also include an acoustic buzzer device via which information, alarm tones or the like can be issued in the hallway 10.

The barrier 1 further includes an actuation device 3 which is designed to move the barrier body 2 from the first position 2 a into one of the second positions 2 b and back if necessary. The actuation device 3 can include a motor for example which is coupled to the barrier body 2.

The barrier 1 comprises a control device 4 which is coupled to the actuation device 3, and which is designed to control the actuation device 3 for moving the barrier body 2. The control device 4 can for example comprise an integrated circuit, a microprocessor, a computer or the like. To perform its function, the control device 4 can receive or generate control signals which can depend on the situation in the space 10. For example the control device 4 can control the actuation device 3 as a function of the occurrence or detection of a danger, evacuation or emergency situation. There can also be provision for the control device 4 to generate the control signals as a function of the characteristics of the flow of people 5, such as flow density, flow speed or expected total number of people. The control device 4 can also for example be controlled manually so that for example security personnel have access to the control device 4, for example via radio or via an operating panel in the delimitation 10 a, and move the barrier body 2 manually into one of the second positions 2 b.

The control device 4 can for example be coupled to a communication interface 6, to a fire alarm system, an emergency detection system for example or any other system, so that the control device 4 can be supplied with control signals from outside. In this way the activatable barrier 1 can be linked into a comprehensive emergency warning system, for example into an existing building management system.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of an activatable barrier 1 in accordance with a typical embodiment of the barrier 1 in FIG. 1. The barrier body 2 is in this case an inflatable partition wall with a flexible envelope. The flexible envelope is not filled with air in the first position.

The actuation device 3 comprises a compressor 3 a, to which a compressed air container 3 b is connected, from which compressed air can be conveyed into the inflatable partition wall 2 via a valve 3 c, so that said wall increases its volume and in this way projects into the hallway 10 in the position labeled 2 b in FIG. 2. The valve 3 c can in this case for example be selectively opened and closed under the selective control of the control device 4 to allow the inflation of the inflatable partition wall 2 as a function of the occurrence of a danger or evacuation situation. The control device 4 can furthermore also activate the compressor 3 a. The inflatable partition wall 2 can typically be inflated within a few seconds so that a rapid reaction to emergency situations is possible. Furthermore the inflatable partition wall 2 can consist of a flexible material which yields to a certain extent in relation to people, so that even with a high flow density of people the danger of injury to the people 5 if they collide with the inflatable partition wall 2 can be kept small. The envelope of the inflatable partition wall 2 can for its part consist of a flame-retardant material.

The partition wall 2 can also be moved actively into a flow of people already moving in a hallway. By using an inflatable partition wall 2 with a flexible envelope the danger of injury to people in the hallway is only slight. This can provide the advantage of allowing the inflatable partition wall 2 to be employed as a wave breaker after a potentially dangerous congestion situation arises without security personnel having to be used who, in congestion situations, can only be introduced with difficulty against the flow of people, for example at major events.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the barrier system 7 with a plurality of activatable barriers 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, 1 d, which can correspond to the activatable barriers 1 explained in FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 3 once again shows a space 10, for example a hallway 10 in a building with delimitations 10 a and 10 b. A flow of people consisting of people 5 who are essentially moving in the hallway 10 from left to right, can for example move along the arrow 11 a to a potentially dangerous area 11 in the event of congestion, for example an incline or a stairway. To avoid congestion in this area is 11 and thus prevent danger to people from falling or being crushed, it is advantageous to displace the formation of congestion into the uncritical area before the area 11.

To this end the barrier system 7 can have a plurality of activatable barriers 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, 1 d which can be moved if necessary into the hallway 10 to form variable obstacles for the movement of the people 5 along the hallway 10, so that the movement of the people 5 can be slowed down, blocked and/or redirected. This means that any possible congestion already forms before area 11 so that danger to people 5 in the congestion can be reduced.

Via an alarm or emergency system 8, for example an emergency signaling system, a fire alarm system or similar systems integrated into building management, a communication interface 6 of the barrier system 7 can be activated which for its part is designed to issue control signals to the activatable barriers 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, 1 d, in order to move their barrier bodies 2 selectively into the hallway 10. To this end the control devices 4 of the barriers 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, 1 d can be connected by a control data line 6 a, for example a building's own communication system, to the communication interface.

First barriers 1 a can for example be arranged in pairs in opposing delimitations 10 a and 10 b of the hallway 10, so that with a movement of the barrier body 2 of the first barriers 1 a an artificial constriction point can be created, through which the people 5 can only pass singly. This reduces the density of the flow of people in an area beyond the artificial constriction point.

Second barriers 1 b can for example be arranged offset in opposing delimitations 10 a and 10 b so that, during a movement of the barrier bodies 2 of the first barriers 1 a in the hallway 10, a queue-like guidance of the flow of people is produced, which can slow down the flow of people 5 through its increased number of corners and curves.

Third barriers 1 c can be arranged for example in the floor of the hallway 10 and can be extended from the floor. With inflatable partition walls 2 this can for example increase the stability of the third barriers 1 c compared to barriers able to be extended from the wall.

Fourth barriers 1 d can be arranged in a ceiling of the hallway 10 for example and extended downwards out of the ceiling. With inflatable partition walls 2 this can for example increase the stability of the third barriers 1 c compared to barriers able to be extended from the wall.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of a barrier system 7 with a plurality of activatable barriers 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, 1 d, which can correspond to the activatable barriers 1 explained in FIG. 1. The barrier system 7 of FIG. 4 differs from the barrier system 7 of FIG. 3 essentially in that sprinkler elements 9 of a sprinkler system are arranged in the building, for example in the hallway 10, which in the event of a fire can deliver water into the hallway 10 to extinguish fires. The sprinkler elements 9 can be supplied with sprinkler water in such cases via a sprinkler water line 9 a.

The actuation devices 3 of the barriers 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, 1 d in FIG. 4 can in such cases have valves 3 c which can be connected to the sprinkler water line 9 a via supply lines 9 b so that, depending on a control signal, the valves 3 c can be opened so that the barrier bodies 2 of the barriers 1 a, 1 b, 1 c, 1 d which can have flexible envelopes can be filled with water from the sprinkler system of the building. In this way barriers filled with water can be erected in the hallway 10. The advantage of this is that the barrier system 7 can be connected in a simple manner to an existing building management system.

Furthermore and independent of the connection to the sprinkler system, the barrier system 7 in FIG. 4 can have a monitoring system 8 a with which characteristics of the flow of people 5 or the situation in the hallway 10 can be detected. The monitoring system 8 a can for example comprise a video monitoring system with video cameras which can record monitoring images of the hallway 10 and can record the number, speed of movement and similar parameters of the people present in the hallway 10. The monitoring system 8 a can also have detection means for automatically detecting seats of fires. The monitoring system 8 a can be connected for example via the control data line 6 a to the control devices 4 and if necessary to the communication interface 6.

FIG. 5 shows a method 20 for selectively blocking a flow of people, especially for operating one of the barriers or barrier systems explained in conjunction with FIGS. 1 to 4. The method 20 comprises as its first step 21 detection of a safety-critical state in a building. In a second step 22, depending on the safety-critical state, at least one barrier body is moved from a first position in a delimitation of a hallway of the building through which a flow of people is guided into one of a plurality of second positions in which the at least one barrier body projects from the delimitation, so that the flow of people is braked or redirected by the barrier body. With the method 20 the safety of people in a flow of people within a building, especially in emergency situations and with an increased danger of congestion forming, is reduced in that buildups of flows of people are relocated from safety-critical areas of the building into less safety-critical areas. The method can be automated and carried out according to the given situation.

The invention relates to an activatable barrier with a barrier body, which is able to be moved between a first position the least one second position, an actuation device which is embodied to move the barrier body from the first position into one of the least one second positions and a control device which is connected to the actuation device and which is designed to control the actuation device is a function of a control signal for moving the barrier body, whereby the barrier body in the first position is recessed into a delimitation of a space through which a flow of people is guided and with the barrier body in the at least one second position projecting from the delimitation so that the flow of people is redirected or braked by the barriers.

The following list of reference characters and numerals, which were used in the description above, may aid the reader in an understanding of the specification:

-   1 Barrier -   1 a Barrier -   1 b Barrier -   1 c Barrier -   1 d Barrier -   2 Barrier body -   2 a First position -   2 b Second position -   2 c Warning device -   3 Actuation device -   3 a Compressor -   3 b Compressed air container -   3 c Valve -   4 Control device -   5 Person -   5 a Direction of movement -   6 Communication interface -   6 a Communication bus -   7 Barrier system -   8 Emergency system -   8 a Monitoring system -   9 Sprinkler system -   9 a Sprinkler line -   9 b Sprinkler connection -   10 Hallway -   10 a Delimitation -   10 b Delimitation -   11 Stairway -   11 a Flow of people -   20 Method -   21 Method step -   22 Method step 

1. An activatable barrier, comprising: a barrier body movably disposed between a first position and at least one second position; said barrier body, in the first position, being withdrawn in a delimitation of a space through which a flow of people is guided, and said barrier body, in the at least one second position, projecting from the delimitation to thereby redirect or slow or brake the flow of people with said barrier body; an actuation device connected to said barrier body and configured for moving said barrier body from the first position into the at least one second position; and a control device connected to said actuation device and configured for controlling said actuation device in dependence on a control signal for moving said barrier body.
 2. The activatable barrier according to claim 1, wherein said barrier body comprises an inflatable partition wall.
 3. The activatable barrier according to claim 2, wherein said inflatable partition wall consists of a fire-resistant material.
 4. The activatable barrier according to claim 2, wherein said actuation device comprises a compressor and a compressed air container for inflating said inflatable partition wall.
 5. The activatable barrier according to claim 1, wherein said barrier body includes a warning device for outputting warning information to persons who are being guided through the space.
 6. A barrier system in a building, comprising: a plurality of activatable barriers each according to claim 1, said barriers being arranged at predetermined spacing distances from each other in a wall, a floor or a ceiling of a hallway of the building; and a communication interface configured to receive control signals from an alarm or emergency system in the building and to forward the control signals to said control devices of said activatable barriers, whereupon said actuation devices of said activatable barriers are capable of being controlled by the alarm or emergency system.
 7. The barrier system according to claim 6, wherein said plurality of activatable barriers include barrier bodies to be filled with water, and wherein said actuation devices of said activatable barriers each has a valve connected to a sprinkler system of the building.
 8. The barrier system according to claim 6, which further comprises: a monitoring system configured to record characteristics of a flow of people in the hallway of the building, and to forward the characteristics in form of a detection signal to said control devices of said activatable barriers; and wherein said control devices are also configured to control said actuation devices in dependence on the detection signal.
 9. A method for selectively blocking a flow of people in a building, the method which comprises: detecting a safety-critical state in a building; and depending on the safety-critical state, moving at least one barrier body from a first position in a delimitation of a hallway of the building, through which a flow of people is being guided, into at least one of a plurality of second positions, in which the at least one barrier body projects from the delimitation, so that the flow of people is diverted or braked by the at least one barrier body.
 10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of moving the at least one barrier body comprises inflating an inflatable partition wall.
 11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of moving the at least one barrier body comprises filling a hollow partition wall with a flexible envelope with water from a sprinkler system of the building.
 12. The method according to claim 9, wherein the safety-critical state comprises a fire alarm in the building or an evacuation situation from the building.
 13. The method according to claim 9, wherein the step of moving the at least one barrier body comprises extending the barrier body from a wall, from a floor or from a ceiling of the hallway in the building.
 14. The method according to claim 13, which comprises extending the the at least one barrier body such that a part of the hallway of the building is completely blocked for the flow of people. 